Never Been Afraid to Roll the Dice
by JooseBoxx
Summary: Collection of Captain Swan prompts based on a shipper friend's demands. Ratings will vary, additional pairings will vary. May contain AU or filler scenes.
1. Nothing to Prove

_You don't have to prove anything._

#

It had been a whirlwind week; after returning from Neverland just a short month ago, nothing had slowed down to let them readjust smoothly. Between getting Henry settled back in, attempting to maintain civility with Regina, navigating life with all these massive revelations, Emma was ready to just stop for a while. Not that she was going to get that chance anytime soon.

She'd never pictured herself in a small town. She'd always found comfort in large cities; space to get lost, a lot of other people but never anyone to get close to, plenty of work, always a little life. She'd never been drawn to the quiet town idea. Never felt the need to _settle_.

And yet here she was, in small town Maine, happy and content, with _family_. Another thing she would've never pictured for herself, so sure that she was meant to be alone her whole life. But she had family now, she had Henry and Mary Margaret and David, she had Ruby and Granny and the dwarves, even Regina and Neal, Rumplestiltskin and Belle. Part of it of course was Henry, just drawing so many people together, bonding them in ways that they'd never manage before. After Neverland it seemed that she and Regina could come to terms with each other being in Henry's life.

And then of course there was Hook.

Hook who had offered his ship to go back to a land he _hated_, Hook who had been there by her side every step of the way, Hook who was the sole reason she was able to get to Henry again, Hook who confessed he was in love with her in order to save the father of her child, Hook who was always in her peripheral but was giving her time and space to figure everything out. Even when Neal wasn't affording her such things.

On top of everything else, Henry's birthday was in a few days, and Emma had spent the time between freaking out about what to get him and getting tangled up emotionally because she still felt guilty about giving him up all those years ago, and Neal didn't understand, just kept telling her it was _fine_, like he had any idea how torn up she was over abandoning their child.

It had been entirely natural for her to go to Hook's ship, pace the deck and vent; word after word just tumbling out of her mouth and he hadn't interrupted her once, hadn't told her she was being silly or overthinking anything, he'd just listened to her, offered her his flask when she was finished. "Swan, concerned though you may be, the only thing Henry cares about are the birthdays to come, and that you'll be there for each and every one of them."

While it didn't magically make everything better, she knew he was right. Henry understood better than she could ever have hoped, the reasons why and all the difficulties surrounding things. How she still felt bad about giving him up, but how she'd always believed she was giving him his best chance at a proper, normal life. Even if that didn't seem very normal now.

When the time comes, everyone in town practically gathered in Granny's for Henry's party. He'd been beaming almost the entire day, from the bike that Regina got him, the camera that Neal got him, the art supplies from Mary Margaret and David and the pencils and charcoal to go with it from Ruby and Granny, he'd been on cloud nine. Emma had presented him with his telescope the night before, so that he could have a look at the stars that night, the book about constellations going with it.

By the time Tink and Hook appeared, Henry was tucking into some cake, until he spotted the fairy, and then he just got even more excited. Emma absolutely refused to admit that she'd been worried Hook wouldn't come. Tinkerbelle was busy showing Henry how her gift worked, a small plate that curved upwards and showed parts of the Enchanted Forest for him to look at when Emma managed to slide up to Hook.

"Thought you'd gotten lost." She knew she was being anything but casual, making her way over to him before he so much as had a drink from Granny and taken a seat.

"Well, it's decidedly difficult to gift wrap with one hand." Hook just gave a shrug of one shoulder, giving Henry a smile as he twisted around upon the mention of gift wrapping and Hook handed over the package. "Tink stopped by to lend a pair of hands." Emma was moderately surprised that Hook had even bothered really, for all that he barely even knew Henry, to get him anything at all was just kind of him, never mind the extra effort put into wrapping.

Henry opened up the curved, oblong box to show a strange brass instrument with dials, a spy glass and what Emma thought might be a compass.

"It's a sextant, sailors use them for navigation." Henry looked bewildered and awed at the device, turning it over carefully in his hands. "It's one your father used when he was a boy, and I'm sure he'd he happy to show you how to use it yourself." At the revelation Henry immediately sought out Neal, grinning and calling a thank you at Hook as he went, leaving them by the bar where Granny deposited a glass of beer for Hook before sauntering off.

"Sailing? Really?" Emma could remember the trip back from Neverland, Hook at the helm, steering the Jolly through the clouds, following the stars towards their destination, while Neal and Henry hung over the back, Neal telling Henry what each of the stars was used for and how to sail using them for direction. As they had finally come out of the clouds and started sailing the ship as she was meant to be sailed, Hook had even given Henry a turn at the helm.

"I may have overheard the lad asking his father to take him out not too long ago." Looking over at Henry, holding tightly to something his father had once used, talking with wild gestures and great enthusiasm, like this was the best day in his life, Emma still felt that gentle pang in her chest. "He's happy, he's happy now. You can't change what happened in the past, but you can ensure tomorrow."

And of course Hook could read her, he could always read her, always just _knew_. It should be annoying, should frustrate and terrify her, but she couldn't be more grateful for it right then.

"We might not have had this. If it weren't for you, if you hadn't come back we might never have found him." And that still haunts her too, the possibilities and outcomes that could've been, Neverland having been the darkest chapter of their journey so far, and how impossible it might've been without Hook there. "Have I said thank you for that?"

"Only a few times, lass." His small smile is disarming. Mostly because it's open and sincere, and Emma's only seen that a handful of times. "And I've told you, you don't have to thank me." The adventure had been enlightening, an eye opener for so many things. Between Regina's trials herself, Neal being alive, her parents wanting another child and _Hook_, just seeing beyond the apparent villain, seeing the man that was really there under the leather and eyeliner and smirks, Emma's stunned to find herself grateful for the experience _because_ it showed all that.

"Well, it's true. We couldn't have done it without you, and I'm grateful for everything, not just Neverland, everything after that too. You've been… Just thank you, okay? For all of it." And she meant the quiet distance he kept while always being available, and the assistance he'd been in getting the Lost Ones settled into _normal_ again, how supportive he'd been while they were getting back to normal, not once making her feel pressured towards rushing her own feelings. Beyond that one stupid fight he'd had with Neal on Neverland, Hook had been nothing but a gentleman about the entire situation, despite how badly it must be twisting him up inside.

Emma barely even gave thought to where they were, or the fact that everyone was in the diner then, including her parents, her son and the father of said son, the other man who was vying to keep her affections, it just felt right to lean over and press a kiss to Hook's lips.

She knows she's surprised him because he freezes, which is different from the last time, when he'd surged into her. But he just stands there, until he starts to lean into her, returning the soft kiss before suddenly pulling back quickly, this time stunning Emma. She'd thought that maybe he'd have lingered as long as possible, abandoned all hope of personal space and just inhabit whatever air she did. Instead he very subtly put space between them, even as he pursed his lips, licking the bottom one and raising an eyebrow at her.

What the…

"Emma, you don't need to—"

"I know that!" Okay, maybe not the best time, but she didn't want to keep putting it off. "I know I don't _need_ to do anything, I don't _need_ to thank you for getting me my son back, I don't _need_ to show you 'gratitude', that's not, that wasn't what that was." She noticed Hook glance over her shoulder, making Emma twist around to catch sight of Neal, trying to appear like he wasn't watching them attentively. But Emma was done trying to tiptoe around this and put it all off. "Listen, I get it, but you don't need to either. You don't need to give me space, don't need to let me think or give me and Neal some time. It's done, we're over. I can't trust him, I can't rely on him, I can't forget, even if I'm learning to forgive. But, Hook, that's not really anything for you to worry about.

You don't need to prove that I can trust you, I already know I can. You don't need to prove that you'll listen, I already know you will. You don't need to prove what kind of man you are, because I already know that. There's nothing to prove, it's just a case of keeping your promise." His eyebrow quirked up, and Emma was aware that she'd started to get a little loud at the end there, and maybe the diner wasn't the best place to do this with the audience of the whole town behind her, trying very hard not to be noticed to be watching them.

"And just what promise is that, love?" There's a spark in his eyes that she remembers from Neverland, a mischief and confidence that she's missed being around, the smirk is back and he's obviously more sure since she's practically stated her choice. She knows him, she trusts him, she _really_ wants to see if she could fall in love with him (and she knows that she absolutely could).

"You promised me fun, when you won my heart, that's what you said. Then the fun starts." Emma can almost hear Mary Margaret pulling David back into his seat, and she's not sure who just high-fived who, but it was probably Tinkerbelle and Henry knowing those two.

"Well, I have yet to break a promise you know." And yeah, she does know. Rather than answer him again, she just grabs the lapel of his coat, stunningly reminiscent of Neverland and hauls him in towards her. This time, he meets her half way with a smile pressed into the kiss.

#


	2. Reading is Believing

_Is that my diary?_

#

"Hey kid, what'cha reading?"

"_Nothing_." Henry slammed everything shut so quick that Emma had to take a step back, eyes widening slightly. It wasn't like him to react like that; more often than not he'd start telling her the story in detail. Usually he was engrossed in his story book, still intent of memorising everything in there, but more recently he'd been reading different history books, stuff about the 18th Century and castles and knights. He'd read so many books on knights that Emma was worried for how badly he'd want to go to the Enchanted Forest now.

This? This was unusual.

"Aren't these the books Hook loaned you?" Much to the chagrin of Regina, Henry had taken to sailing very well. And instead of answering a million run on questions, Hook had graciously offered Henry his entire collection of books to read through to learn about knots and sails and navigation and map reading, he'd even promised sailing lessons when Regina had calmed down.

"Yeah, they…I was just reading about stars." It's a lie. Emma can't figure out _why_ he'd lie about that, but she can tell that he's lying. He won't even look at her as he stacks all the books up again.

"Okay, kid, what's going on?" She halts him with a hand on his wrist, stopping him from piling yet more of Hook's tomes on top of the one he just closed. She's got to figure out just what it is that's gotten him so jumpy about this.

The bottom book is cased in soft, supple brown leather, worn around the edges and with clear breaks along the spine to show how often it's been opened. There's no title, no author, nothing on the front or along the spine to indicate what it's about. Unlike a lot of the others that have golden cursive detailing the contents. This one is blank, soft and thick.

Flipping the book open, Emma thumbs the first page, slightly marvelled at the texture of the paper. It's old, almost linen like, and the black scrawling writing is elegant and covers almost the entire page. The date at the top is what jars Emma first, then the words as she reads the page and realises it's not a book on anything really.

"Is this…Is this a journal?"

"It's a log book. Captains at sea keep them to detail their journeys. It's the log of the Jewel of the Realm leaving port in search of Neverland and the Dreamshade." It's the story of the Jolly Rogers' first voyage, before she was a pirate ship. This is Hook's _brother_ writing. Emma feels something catch in her throat, pausing slightly, because she's not sure if she should carry on reading or stop right there.

On the one hand, she really wants to know this story, she's been wanting to know since David mentioned in passing while they were in Neverland, and it hardly feels like yesterday, despite it being a whole year ago. And now, now she could find out everything, without prying through Hook's past and his clearly still delicate emotions when it comes to his brother. Especially with Blackbeard rummaging up all the old wounds.

But it still felt like prying, like digging into something private that Hook had no control over her finding out and if it'd been her, she'd be pissed. She couldn't really hide the fact that she knew, the next time they saw each other, she was more than aware that it'd show, he'd see it. She couldn't lie either, when asked.

The lure proved too strong though, and Emma found herself flipping through the pages as she read Liam's accounts of the first journey from their realm to that of Neverland, the accounts of mermaids and the majestic Pegasus sail that made it all possible. Her heart clenched on the entry about dropping anchor off the Neverland coast and taking _Lieutenant Jones _ashore with him.

She knew what was coming, the change in handwriting, the details that followed but it still made her ache for Hook, for the loss that he must've endured. The following entries are far more interesting to her, of course. The steady hand of _Killian_ and the careful weaving of words. She'd always known he had a way with language, but seeing it written, she could hear it in her head in his voice. She was barely aware of Henry beside her, until he placed a mug of cocoa on the table beside one of his own, a small smile as he curled up at the other end of the sofa with a book on stars in his lap.

Emma was riveted. By the time Killian got to introducing Milah she felt like she was in some kind of adventure tale, forgetting almost that this was his life, that Hook had experienced every word of this. She knows when Milah dies before he even writes about it, several _months_ pass before there's another dated entry, and then the dates stop altogether. She can only assume that it's because Neverland makes it impossible to truly tell time.

One by one, he writes of losing his crew, of Neverland eating them up. They escape for a short while, but to a land of wraith and ghosts, only to be spit back out in the Neverland waters once more. It reads a lot more like Peter Pan did to her when she was younger, only this time she finds herself rooting for Captain Hook and cursing Pan, cringing in places and feeling more and more admiration for Hook than she thought entirely possible.

She had known he betrayed Tinkerbelle before he left Neverland the final time, she hadn't known how, or why, or even that he had questioned himself several times before doing it. She understands now why Tink and Hook struggled to repair a tattered and strained friendship, and perhaps why it was so strong now.

The first time she sees her name, she's shocked. She just stares at it for a while, running her finger over the smooth writing. _Swan_, just her last name. It's their entire adventure in the Enchanted Forest, all of it in one entry. Details about her bravery and strength, about her broken quality but the fierceness underneath that, the determination to return to her son. He describes her like she's never been described before, like something delicate but powerful, like she's a force of nature and he's gotten dragged in. She feels terrible about leaving him on the beanstalk all over again, and feels stunned when she realises he _let_ her win the sword fight, although he apparently wasn't expecting the blow to the head.

Portions of his time in Storybrooke are strangely blank, save for a single page being dedicated to a shaky and scratchy warning; avoid metal carriages, they hit hard. She can't stop the laugh bubbling up, thinking of him leaving a post-it note to himself to avoid getting mown down by another car. Henry shoots her a smile, likely knowing exactly where she's at, before going back to his own book.

The tales of Neverland this time around are eye opening. She'd been there, so she knew the story, but reading it from his perspective, reading about _her_ from his point of view, it's rather unnerving. Realistically, Emma knows how he feels; he's never really hidden it. On the shores of Neverland, telling her he rather fancied her when she wasn't shouting at him, the kiss in the jungle, in Echo Cave, his revelation of feeling more than just attraction, promising to win her heart, promising to think of her every day they were separated (and she knows he did, he had to, he promised), even his attempted True Love's kiss in New York only a few weeks ago, when he'd crossed realms to find her. Realistically, Emma knows he loves her. She's not sure why _reading_ it is such a shock to her.

He fights with himself on it, in Neverland, before the kiss. He's already feeling some shift in his feelings towards her and he fights himself on it, honouring Milah's memory even as he puts his vendetta against Rumplestiltskin aside, how he feels he's dishonouring his love by _forgetting_ her. And now Emma understands just why that would be such a secret for him to give up in the caves.

Neverland gets bleaker, and Hook seems to take a while before the next entry, since by that time they have Henry back and they're leaving Neverland, what he hopes is the last time he ever has to see that cursed island again. She understands more just what he was facing when he'd agreed to sail them to Neverland to look for Henry, everything that he knew about the island, everything he'd been through, and yet he still went there for them.

The next entry in the journal is a few pages on, blank ones sitting unused to separate their Neverland adventure from the next, and that's when Emma realises that this is from their year apart, these are Hook's experiences in the Enchanted Forest, after Pan's curse.

It doesn't surprise her that he leaves the company of her parents, he'd told her that he'd gone in search of his ship, and it seems he found it. She learns something new about Hook then, he hates riding horses. Although he still turned the beast loose to roam free, despite his belief that it hated him anyway. His finding of the Jolly Roger is apparently bittersweet, since she was in grave disrepair and required monumental damage control, although she knows now that his pessimism was unfounded, because the vessel sits in the dock, beautiful and compete as ever and Hook clearly managed to salvage his old girl.

She is surprised that, after all, he made his way back towards the castle, only to find that the former residents of Storybrooke were in Rumplestiltskin's home rather than the castle. She hadn't known he'd gone back to find them, hadn't asked as the memories began to return to everyone, that Hook had gone _back_. It seemed sometimes he really did just need reminding that he could still care.

Throughout the stories of the Witch's attacks, interspersed with tales of small adventures on supply runs, of the battle of wills between Regina and Snow White, of his steady frustration with just about everything, there's little pieces of her on all the pages. Anecdotes or musings, memories he'd put down. It's yet more proof that he thought of her continuously, that she was still with him, and even if she couldn't remember him, he was doing enough remembering for the both of them.

There's still several pages afterward, undoubtedly his journey back to her, his search through New York, the days since then while they've been battling their unseen foe and the revelation that the Wicked Witch was behind it all. She doesn't doubt that he's detailed it all, like the many other years of his life, but Emma can only close the journal carefully, lovingly, and place it on the coffee table as she processes _everything_.

He _loves_ her. Not just the idea of her, not just parts of her, not just right now. He loves her; it almost feels like he's loved her for a lifetime just from reading. She knows practically his whole life, three hundred years of it, written on page after page, smeared in ink stains on her fingertips now.

Whether she loves him back or not, it's there in black and white, she has his heart, every fractured little piece of it, and she's not sure what she's meant to do with that. Not sure if she's even ready for what that means.


	3. Everyone Hates I Told You So

_I have a bad feeling about this._

_#_

If he'd said it once, he'd said it twice, he'd said it about four times since they'd come up with the plan really. But Neal had cut him off each time and Hook was done trying to keep these idiots from endangering themselves. If they wanted to blindly follow _Baelfire_ then fine, he'd let them. The '_I told you so_' might be worth it.

There was never a time to drop guard in Neverland, but Hook made a point on staying even more on alert, especially after a stumble over a tree root was the only thing that saved Snow White from taking an arrow in the back from a rigged trap. "Like I said, this is the Lost Ones' playground." And it was, the deeper of the jungle might be a quicker route to the place Neal swore was the Lost Ones camp, but it was twice as dangerous, which was saying something. Between the natural Neverland traps and the ones left by the demon children, they'd be lucky to escape with their heads.

"Just stay close." Close worked well, for the most part, Hook having to grab Regina by the elbow when her foot inadvertently found some of the sinking sand by the tall grass. They couldn't quite manage single file, which would likely only mean the front and back of the line were in danger, since David was glued to his wife's side, Neal constantly hanging back to take Emma's side. Hook tried to urge Regina to take the Dark One's side while he kept up the rear, defaulting to allow Neal and Emma lead the search.

"The vines sting." He was only able to make sure that Emma and Neal noticed them because David could stop Emma from walking into them, the trees overhead swaying to the side slightly. The vines hung in clusters, woven together with purple flowering tips, an allure to coax touching despite the poison that wept from the pores of the vine itself, coating the entire length of it in a sticky shine.

"Seriously? A little _sting_, I think we can take it."

"You fancy some nerve damage, go ahead." He'd lost two crew members to the venom purely because they'd carried on walking and pumped the poison to their hearts quicker.

"What is it?" Emma had turned her back to Neal, shifting her gaze from the plant to Hook, her first time openly seeking his input since Neal's return to the group.

"Aconite, or more commonly wolfsbane. This far out, any poisoning will prove fatal, after an hour or two of vomiting, burning in the skin, tingling nerves and eventually motor function failure." Hook gave a casual shrug as David pushed the vines aside, motioning Snow past with it out of the way, pausing in his place before nodding Regina and the Crocodile along as well. "Anything with purple or yellow fauna like that, you avoid." After David's Dreamshade poisoning the last thing they needed was another round of poisoning.

"What other plants are poisonous here?" The formation of the group seemed to alter slightly, Emma slowing to come behind Neal, Snow by her side while David hung back a little to speak with Hook.

"Mate, it's easier to tell you what isn't poisonous." Considering how deadly Neverland was, the multitude of poisons available to the Lost Ones to tip their weapons, the plant life itself only had varying degrees of deadly, very little on the island was truly safe. "There's seven truly dangerous in this area of the island; aconite, snakeroot, cerbera odollam, henbane, calabar bean, bracken and hellebore. We should be safe from the henbane and cerbera odollam, but just don't go touching the plants."

It's bad enough that they're trekking through the brush, venturing off the already worn paths, the places that it's evidently easier to traipse than through all the wildlife here. With the added awareness that not just the ground and the Lost Ones could harm them here, more attention seemed to be placed on their surroundings, which was just as well when Snow stopped Neal from brushing another trigger along the tree line and the Crocodile managed to repel some snapping brush from Emma's side.

Hook still thought this was a _terrible_ idea, potentially worse than the extra half day the around trek would take.

"You okay there?" To say that David's question was surprise would be an understatement, as much as the Prince had dropped most of his animosity since their miniature adventure to cure his poisoning, it definitely didn't make them friends by any stretch of the imagination.

"Why shouldn't I be?" For all that no, he absolutely was not 'okay', he was back in Neverland, his ship had holes bigger than most small boats, they were playing games with Pan that they were not going to win, not to mention the Dark One, Baelfire and Hook's unwanted development in regards to Emma bloody Swan, he was on a different realm from 'okay' at the moment. Not that Prince Charming needed to know that.

"You've barely thrown an innuendo at Emma the entire day, you've hardly spoken the entire day and you're all the way back here, where Emma isn't." Hook couldn't avoid rolling his eyes. Shouldn't David be all the more thankful that he was curbing anything even remotely flirtatious towards Emma? It had been a while since he'd had the pleasure of dealing with over-protective fathers, but he was sure they weren't supposed to question when unruly pirates stopped flirting with their daughters.

"This is a bad idea, this is a terrible route and I have a very bad feeling about the whole thing. Pardon me if I'm more bothered with us not dying on the trek than seeing the delightful blush on your daughter's cheeks." The fact was, right now he didn't want to deal with Emma, he didn't want to have to deal with those walls and that distrust and the daggers that Neal constantly glared at him. He was perfectly content to pretend it wasn't even an issue at the moment.

He's not sure if he should be offended at the perception that he cannot be serious for a moment or just accept the idea that he's constantly just a drunken pirate with no appreciation for the situation. It's a moot point all things told, they are traipsing through the worst part of the island because Neal said he knows it better than even Hook, which frankly is a massive overreach on Neal's part, and because he claimed it faster. Swiftness seems to outweigh safety at this point. Which Hook will deal with, purely because he will not stand by and argue the point with anyone regarding the island. They were warned before they disembarked his ship, if they opted not to listen to him, that was up to them.

Of course as the sun set is not a slow crawl over the horizon in Neverland, it's a rather sudden change when night falls and the light almost blinks out entirely, something that by now, they should also be used to. Snow White stumbles at the change, David lunging to catch her before she hit the dirt. His quick movement may indeed save the Princess from meeting the hard ground but it also catches on yet another one of the traps left behind by the Lost Ones. The three arrows fire up in an arc, one slightly higher than the next, clearly an attempt to catch any potential disturbance in the brush. The first sliced at knee level, missing David in his stumble forward to grab Snow, the highest one by-passing both their heads in their crouch while the middle was on direct course for David's throat.

Survival instinct was one of the only things that truly saved Hook's skin time and time again in Neverland, the ability to avoid such things that would, ultimately, put him on deaths door. Everything in Neverland had the potential to be deadly, fatalities were a frequent occurrence and Hook counted his ability to survive the island for near three hundred years as testament to those survival instincts. So why he stepped forward, hand on David's back to push him out of the way, putting himself in the path of the arrow, Hook had no reasonable explanation for.

Emma's cry of David's name along with Snow's yelp of pain overshadowed Hook's own grunt as the arrow embedded in his shoulder, splintering painfully on bone and sinking into muscle. He knew, he'd known, from the very start of this ridiculous trek, that this was a stupid idea, that something was going to happen. Now he had an arrow embedded in his good arm and a hole in his damn coat. "Bloody, buggering hell."

He caught himself against a tree, using his elbow to brace himself while taking stock of the injury. It's hard to tell if there's poison to worry about straight away, his shoulder simply a flaring agony of pain from the initial impact and damage, although the good thing is that it rules out Dreamshade because the pain isn't ebbing to numbness like it would under those circumstances. In the time it takes for the burning searing pain to recede slightly, David and Snow have caught themselves and been properly checked for injuries before attention turns, inevitably to him.

"Fastest bloody way, eh?" Damn them and their haste. He'd bloody well warned them, the jungle was more dangerous than Pan himself, added with the Lost Ones and naturally it was even worse. But oh no, don't listen to the bloody pirate.

"Hook, you—" Snow was the first one to reach out, evidently going for the arrow.

"Don't," he had to bite back on the tone, although the pain and frustration he was currently dealing with made that a lot harder than normal. "Don't touch it, cover your hand."

"Is that poisoned?" Had he not been trying to keep from releasing an undignified tirade on the so called do gooders, he might have appreciated the slight panicked quality to Swan's voice. It would be even nicer if he didn't have to catch an arrow in his shoulder to hear it.

"Likely, yes." The edge of the wound was starting to burn, an indicator that yes, it was tipped with something. "Can you see the other arrows?" Likely, it'd be impossible to tell from this one, what with him bleeding all over the damn thing.

"I got one," David had his sleeve pulled down over his hand, picking one of the arrows by the fletching, Snow White following suit with her own find, brandishing it triumphantly. "Let me see." Thankfully, they were wooden tipped, not the ridiculously destructive stone tipped arrows that would literally cripple his shoulder. Swaying slightly, Hook pressed his other elbow back, putting too much pressure on his shoulder and hissing. Emma was suddenly at his other side, her hand at his elbow on his hooked hand, keeping him from having to press too hard on his shoulder.

Inspection of the remaining two arrows at least tells him he's not about to lose his shoulder, thank the Gods, because his hand is on that arm, and he'd really be screwed if that shit happened. Might as well just serve himself up on a platter for the mermaids at that rate. A careful sniff at the wood ("seriously, you're just gonna sniff it, what are you a bloodhound?") and the fact that the slightly translucent sheen on the tips isn't coloured at all, and he's once again blessing whatever stars are actually trying to aide him.

"Love, inside pocket," he gives Emma a slight nudge, since she's handing so close. "There should be three small vials in the lining, the one with the blue cork, grab it would you?" Hook had learned years ago that carrying anti-dotes to the poisons on the island was occasionally the only way to survive. His numerous pockets were decked with multiple little vials or salves or wrapped leaves to do such things.

"Someone's going to have to break the shaft," and someone was going to need to yank it out, which he was not looking forward to at all. Gritting his teeth, Hook simply gave David a nod as the Prince snapped the bottom portion of the arrow off, mindful not to touch it all the while.

At least they were learning something.

"Should we take the rest of it out, before pouring this in? Or pour this in around it or…"

"Considering I'm more than likely to pass out during the extraction of the arrow, and then entirely likely to bleed out afterwards, I'd rather we just left it in right now." Provided they weren't about to trek another three miles through the jungle, he'd rather pour the anti-dote into the wound and just deal with the scraping and gouging of his shoulder. He was sure he'd be able to sweet talk Tink into fixing him up eventually, for a price.

"You can't, that's your good arm, it'll fester and probably cripple your arm." Snow was poking delicately around the arrowhead still embedded in his shoulder, and right then he wanted to know just what she proposed he do. Bleed out or risk permanent damage to a shoulder he'd at least still have. "Gold, you can heal this, right?"

The Crocodile was a good ten feet away, clearly disinterested and unlikely to help. Considering the scoff and eyeroll he just threw at the princess, and Hook would rather dig the arrow out with his hook than let the bastard near him.

"I can." All heads turn to Regina at that, because _seriously_? Hook just raised an eyebrow at the woman, she scoffed at him in return, "I'm not ungrateful, and we all know you're more of an asset than not." There seems to be a silent conversation going on around him and Hook's not even sure what to make of that.

What really confuses him is when David gives a sigh and starts to head in the direction of Neal and the Crocodile, prodding them through the brush and away, and it's stupid, because they should not split up, least of all right now. He can't even tell them that right then, since Regina's rolling up her sleeves and rubbing her hands together, while Emma and Snow are bracing him back, Emma's arm curling around his hooked arm while her other extends over his chest to hug at his waist, Snow standing determined and resolved on his other side.

He's experienced this kind of pain before, his hand had been cut from his wrist damnit, and the cauterising of that hadn't been done by any professional at all, nor was it magically healed. Although he'd been in a drunken stupor for several days after that for more than one reason, it was hardly entirely numbing to the pain. He would think that this was no worse than then. However his memory of the event is blissfully dulled over the last three hundred years, which just makes this entire thing utterly agonising.

As Snow viciously yanks the arrow from his shoulder, apologising the whole time, he's sure his jaw might crack from the force of biting down against the howl of pain he wants to loose. Emma presses her forehead up against his cheek, her arms tightening around him as she flinches in towards him, Regina stepping forward and holding her hands outward. They're glowing purple; he'd like to point that out. Purple, he'd have thought of her as more a red or black sort of girl, but the purple is a slight surprise for his half-delirious state right then.

Snow pours the anti-dote into his shoulder just as Regina seems to mutter something at him, and then he feels like everything in his upper body is just burning. This time he can't avoid the yelp, low and almost like a whimper and damn her to the depths right then.

The next thing he's even remotely aware of is Emma's hair. He's only minorly fascinated by it, to be honest. It's oddly alluring really, soft and wavy, sometimes perfectly sleek and it must be some kind of witchcraft that gets it so straight. There's this strange hint of honey coming from it, which he can't understand at all, because there's no honey anywhere in Neverland, so how the hell did she get it in her hair? The next thing he notices is the careful, soft petting along the side of his face. Now that was strange, why was he being—

Carefully opening his eyes, wary of whatever discomfort might seize him, Hook found that he was mostly prone, sitting against a tree and Emma's shoulder, which explained the hair. As much as he didn't want to, because this was nice, damnit and if he could claim a few more minutes like this he would, but there were much more pressing matters, Hook shifted slightly, taking a sharp inhale as his shoulder pulled uncomfortably.

"Hey, careful." Swan shifts with him, allowing him a little more support to the side, while he turns to inspect his shoulder. His coat is missing, folded over his legs he notices, and there's a hole in his shirt, wonderful. The tightness is likely due to what he can only assume is brand new muscle and bone growth, because there's shiny white scar tissue over the muscle of his arm where Snow ripped the arrow from. "Regina said it'll sting a little, but that will lessen over time, and then you won't notice it at all." Emma's voice is low, careful like she's trying not to spook him.

He's more than aware that he must've passed out, which while it is moderately humiliating, he'd rather that than scream through the pain of bone, muscle and tissue regrowing, thank you very much. He's fine with just leaning there for a little while longer, more mindful of the casual way Emma sits along his side, their hips in contact, his torso almost angled in towards hers, where his head had been resting rather comfortably on her shoulder not too long ago.

"You saved David's life." He almost can't hear her, if he'd been sitting any further away, he might not have heard her. Instead he just turns, his attention shifting from his newly healed shoulder, to the blond haired woman now utterly engrossed in the dirt by their sides. "You could've been killed, or crippled, or stuck here with your own dreamshade poisoning," these are all things that he already knows, painfully aware of the potentially crippling damage the arrow had done, and if not for Regina, likely could've left him nursing for the rest of a pathetically short and depressingly empty life.

"Well, it _may_ have done those things, however if I hadn't your father would be dead." There would be no coming back from an arrow to the throat, and he could already tell that Emma was just coming around the idea of _having_ parents. She was in no way ready to lose one on the quest to save her son.

"Yeah, you should be careful, any more of these good deed and saving David's life, he's gonna get all hero worship on you." She's deflecting, and he'll allow it, he supposes. He's not really up to digging through her defences just then.

"I'm no one's hero, darling." He'd brought them here to save Henry, he'd work to keep their little family intact on the journey, and then get them home. He didn't need anyone developing false ideas about him along the way. They'd only be disappointed later.

"You're wrong about that," Emma brushed the side of her pants, shifting to stand up and brushing off the back of her pants, grabbing his coat from his legs and giving him a brief smile, "C'mon; we should catch up with them. We're headed back to the path. Seems someone had the right idea about that."

Mindful of his shoulder again, Hook just nodded slightly as he climbed to his feet, swaying a little and grabbing the tree for balance before steadying. "At least someone is paying attention now."


	4. But By Any Other Name

_You don't look so hot._

#

With the town's people _finally_ regaining their memories, thanks to a combined effort from the Blue Fairy and Regina, they'd managed to oust Zelena from quietly walking through their ranks, pushing her to the outskirts of town with her monkey minions. The skirmish that brought was in the process of being cleared up, while all the Storybrooke residents came to terms with their returned memories of the last year.

Emma was standing outside Granny's, having left to escape a fairly _awkward_ meeting between Regina, Robin and Henry, and was now caught up in a conversation with David and a friend of his from the Enchanted Forest.

"Emma, Edward here was kind enough to sail through a treacherous squall to save Red and the dwarves from the witch's ambush." Edward was a stocky man, dark black hair and beard, dull blue eyes and a weather beaten face. He seemed to shrug off and bask in the praise from David all at the same time.

"Nothin' any navy man wouldn't have done I'm sure, yer highness." The modesty was false, and Emma assumed it was simply because this man was literally gaining the praise of his crowned Prince or whatever. Emma's attention drifted slightly as she saw the familiar black leather clad figure approach the diner. She hadn't seen much of him since he'd been thrown through the cobblers window earlier, taking a magical blast from Zelena that distracted the witch long enough to get Mary Margaret off the streets.

She was about to smile, call him over and thank him for that, when she noticed the sharp raise in his eyebrows before he, rather comically, stopped mid-step and turned on his heel to walk the other way. Emma couldn't contain the burst of almost laughter at that, gaining David's attention.

"Hook, hey," she could almost see him roll his eyes at being caught. "Hook, come and meet a fellow sailor." Watching the pirates shoulders sag, Emma frowned slightly at the body language, watching Hook twist around again and plaster the tightest, most fake smile she'd seen on his face. "Hook, meet Edward, a friend from the Kingdom."

Emma barely listened to the exchange, watching the way Hook held his left arm under his right side, shielding the hook under his jacket while he took the offered hand to shake, his expression closed and eyes blank, but his jaw tight and tense. Something was off.

"Hey, are you okay?" She was sure that Whale had checked him over; Regina had told her that the spell was nothing fancy, just fairly forceful, but if he'd broken his ribs again he should be at the hospital.

"Fine lass, just some bumps." Even his tone wasn't the same.

"I was just telling Emma about how sorely needed Edward's help was. Merchant sailors were hard to find." David is apparently oblivious to the discomfort in Hook.

"Merchant, eh? That what you call it now?" The sharpness of the tone caught Emma's attention instantly, along with the disdain dripping from it. She'd rarely seen Hook so closed off, not even in Neverland. In Neverland, when faced with Pan, he was nothing but bluster and arrogance, a light that danced in his eyes at every interaction, proving that Pan didn't have the upper hand. Even in the Enchanted Forest, when they first met, there was a life about him that she could barely understand, this never ending spark for mischief just below the surface.

This? This is cool and controlled and barely contained. This is _Captain Hook_, dread pirate and feared. She can understand why he'd be notorious across the seas if this was his persona during the years, if the revenge and hatred had hardened him to the core like this, there would be reason for the stories. Not the cheeky, dashing pirate with the sharkish grin and the panty dropping smirk. He was nowhere to be seen in the man in front of them.

"If the cap fits. Y'know, never thought this day would come." Edward and Hook apparently have some history.

"I had sorely hoped it wouldn't." And it didn't seem to be good history.

"You two know each other?" David had caught a clue it seemed, although Emma wasn't too sure if he'd caught the tension in the confrontation just yet.

"You could say that, yes." Edward had an unnerving sort of smile on his face, as if he was both surprised and annoyed at the turn around, while Hook's snarl hadn't really left. Clearly, they didn't like each other at all. "How did you survive anyway? Would've thought you'd starve." Emma was starting to get a picture; they could've been allies at some point, but Edward screwed Hook over and left him somewhere. And that struck a little too close to home for Emma.

"Clearly I've made a living exceeding your expectations then, hmm?" Emma was starting to worry that Hook might grind through his jaw at the rate he was going, "Liam found out." Wait, Liam was from before Hook's pirating days; Liam's death was the reason for them.

"Liam, Liam your brother Liam?" David was glancing between Edward and Hook, apparently trying to keep up with the vagueness of the conversation just the same as Emma was.

"Big brother playing the father, eh. Should've guessed that."

"Well you did a piss poor job of it." And that, _that_ right there stuns Emma cold. Hook's never said much about his parents; she understands his mother was a non-entity, she knew he'd been left behind at some point, knew he was an orphan like her. She didn't expect this though. Neither did David by the spluttering.

"You're… He's… How is…" Emma understands the body language now, the shield between his emotions and his appearance, why Hook's shut down so much right then.

"Sea witches can be very generous."

"The gift of eternal youth," Hook snorted and rolled his eyes, jaw grinding a little more and Emma wanted to reach out, offer some kind of comfort, but she knew better than to do that right now. "Hardly a gift the way you pay for it, old man."

Edward would have to be at least three hundred and fifty himself, she doesn't know exactly how old Hook is herself, she knows that he's spent at least three hundred years in Neverland, she doesn't know how old he was before then, but apparently, Hook's father was just as good at finding a way to survive the centuries as well. And she can see it, maybe, the resemblance between them. Hook's face isn't just as drawn, more sharp and handsome, still with a boyish quality under the scruff and eyeliner, Edward was far more weathered, clearly succumbing more to the ravages of time than Hook.

"Like you can talk, boy. Well preserved for three hundred years, and just where is your stalwart brother, hmm? Not lurking around t' fight yer battle, runt?"

"Okay, how about we just move this along," Emma wasn't about to stand around and see just what Hook would do upon further mention of Liam, grabbing Hook's hand and pulling him away from his father and into the diner, leaving her father to deal with the other man. "Are you sure you're okay?" This time it wasn't just his health she was concerned about, between the knock through the window and she could imagine pretty well what he must be feeling about the rather unwanted reunion with his father, "You don't look so great, c'mon let's get something warm in you." They were staying away from the rum that was for sure.

Thankfully, Regina and Robin had sorted things out with Henry, who was now sitting happily with the pair of them, presumably discussing the new addition of merry outlaw to their already complicated network of family. She manages to give him a smile, tight though it is, as she directs Hook towards the front bar, getting Granny to bring over a hot chocolate. She doesn't think he needs rum, and coffee isn't terribly smart right then, the best she can think of is hot cocoa; it makes Henry feel better, it makes her feel better, even Mary Margaret drinks it when she's stressed or upset.

She's mostly worried because he just sits there, staring at the counter in front of him. She can't really imagine what it must be like; she'd spent years believing that her parents didn't want her, that no one wanted her, only to be proven wrong and overwhelmed but the startling amount of love her family had for her, even the people not related by blood. But Hook, it's not an assumption on his part, and Emma feels horrible that he has to deal with _this_ on top of all the chaos around them.

Granny brings over the mug of hot chocolate, having sprinkled the cinnamon over the top, likely without thinking, and places it in front of them. Hook barely even acknowledges it, although his hand does curve around the mug and almost clutch it. Regina, thankfully, notices that not all is well; taking Henry and Robin out, and Granny is blessedly absent for once, not hovering to know the latest gossip. Or maybe Hook is right and the matriarch does have a soft spot for him, giving him the much needed space.

"Do you want to talk about it?" It feels pathetically empty, worthless really. But Emma Swan knows rejection, and all the walls in the world don't protect you from the worst one of all. She'd felt that at just three years old, when she was replaced and sent away. Hook exhales harshly, almost a sigh, almost a chuckle, even with a bitter tinge.

"It shouldn't even bother me anymore." He was trying to think rationally, but rationality had nothing to do with this. "It was lifetimes ago and the bastard can still make it feel like yesterday." She'd said a while ago, what felt like years ago, that they understood each other, she'd admitted that they had a connection, they were just as broken as each other, and it's startling to see where his breaks stemmed from. "I was six," Hook swallowed audibly, shaking his head, "we'd left out home port, he'd said we were going on an adventure. The adventure was his thieving from the Governor's home and going on the run. He left me at the next dock, too conspicuous, slowing him down, he always said I was worthless really anyway."

"Where um, where was your mother?" She knew that Liam was Navy; Hook had told her in Neverland, during one of their camp fire nights, sharing a coconut and asking each other questions, sharing their pasts. He'd talked about Liam with fondness, even with the grief that still clung to his words; he'd clearly worshiped his brother. But there had never been mention of a mother.

"She died birthing me." Three hundred years ago, she supposed that was a common thing. But then, in the Enchanted Forest, it seemed it was possible for most pregnancies to end in just one person surviving the birth. "Apparently he got mean after she died, drank more, gambled more, worked less. Liam left to join the Navy at fourteen. I had just turned five when he left."

Hook distracted himself with his hot chocolate while Emma processed the new information, understanding that Killian, as just a boy, was left with an emotionally abusive drunk for a father who eventually abandoned him and expected him to die. It was obvious now that this was the first time father and son had seen each other since then, both likely having believed the other dead.

"Eventually, Liam found out, went back to our home and was informed that his father was wanted for theft, treason, a multitude of other petty things, took him another few weeks to find me, mind you." And Emma knew the rest of that story; Liam had convinced his Captain to take Killian on as a cabin boy, when Killian was of age, he joined the Navy along with his brother and worked his way through the ranks at a ferocious pace until her was placed as his brother's Lieutenant. And then Neverland happened.

The worst part of it is that Emma knows Killian was nine when Liam found him, she knows now that he spent three years on his own, surviving somehow, clearly right about making a living out of exceeding his father's expectations. She could see that the memories were slamming through him, the sharpness to his bright blue eyes, the rigid set in his jaw and the defeated slump in his shoulders.

"You're better than he ever thought you would be, and he's the failure, Killian." Emma stands behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her cheek against his, feeling him turn towards her, seeing him close his eyes and savour it. "_Liam_ would be proud of who you are now, screw that waste of space."

He snorts slightly, a curve of a smile tugging at his lips momentarily, and Emma counts that as a minor win in her books.

"He goes by Blackbeard," and that does not sound like the name of a merchant sailor, "tell David to be careful?"

"We'll keep our eyes on him." The slump of Hook's shoulders doesn't seem so much like defeat anymore as much as acceptance, but Emma doesn't back away just yet, completely content to linger a while and hope to bring some semblance of comfort to her pirate.

#


	5. No Longer Afraid

_I'm not scared_

#

Emma Swan was not a coward.

She'd faced dragons and curses and ogres and witches and Peter fucking Pan, she wasn't a coward, she didn't run from things, she faced them, head on, shoulders back and fists clenched. She didn't run from fights or confrontations, she was the Saviour damnit, and she couldn't be scared.

"What are you scared of?" It was the accusation in the tone, the disbelief that she _still_ hadn't done anything. "Seriously, mom, it's been forever. Just go!" It had been four days. Four days since she read Hook's Logbook, four days since she'd had the shutters ripped right off and practically seen to the depths of his soul, every tattered, battered, torn part of him laid out in black and white and Emma _yearned_ for him.

She wanted to ask him, ask him more about Liam, about the man that he was, the person that Killian so obviously looked up to. Wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that Milah's death wasn't his fault and he shouldn't ever apologise for loving her, she made her choice and Rumplestiltskin was the one who chose to kill her. She wanted to apologise for leaving him on the beanstalk, for not trusting him, for forcing his hand back to Cora when they could've been a team, if she'd only let him in, if she'd just taken that chance. She wanted to tell him how much it meant to her that he'd gone back to Neverland, after everything he wrote about the place, all the horrors and the despair he faced there, the memories of his crew, of his friends and his failures there, how much it meant to her that he went back there to save her son, a boy he didn't even know.

But she didn't know how, didn't know how to bring it up, how to tell him. She wasn't _scared_, she was just wary. She'd read something she wasn't supposed to read, not really. It was his personal journal, something that she doubted she was ever meant to see.

And Henry wasn't helping. Even if he did have his memories back, even if he knew that his Dad wasn't _all_ bad, knew about the trip to Neverland and Hook's help, he didn't _understand_ the complexity of it all. Emma had been much more open in the life Regina had given them; raising Henry had let her keep that little piece of her heart open. But now, now she was battling against putting those walls back up, keeping herself closed, and opening up fully to the possibility of _more_. More than the fake happiness with Walsh, more than the quiet contentment with Henry. She knew that Henry wanted her _happy_, that he wanted someone around to expand their family, although now their family was hard to keep track of.

Somehow, the kid had managed to trick her though, getting her not only to go to Hook's ship, but with all the books he'd borrowed too. Henry was spending the day with Regina, Robin and Roland, getting to know his other mother's boyfriend and son, and wow was that a head-trip when Emma had found out.

So there she was, shuffling from foot to foot as she tried to think of _something_ to say to Hook, since she doubted she'd get away from this without having to explain why she'd been avoiding him for four days.

With an armful of books, Emma has to resort to kicking at his cabin door, half hoping he's not here and half hoping he hurries up and opens the door. There are a few noises from within the cabin before the door opens, and Emma just stares for a moment, because Hook looks absolutely harassed.

"Um, bad time?" His hair is sticking up every which way, worse than she's ever seen it. He's missing his coat and vest, shirt rumpled and untucked, he's barefoot and those leather pants still cling to his legs wonderfully.

"No, lass, just mispl—" Hook's attention falls on the books in Emma's grip, shifting to take them and turning away. Most of them are tossed onto the bed, Emma stepping inside to see that his entire cabin is in disarray. She realised, somewhat belatedly, that _maybe_ he'd missed the book that he'd rather obviously kept for three hundred years. Emma could've smacked herself for not thinking that he might've thought it lost, what _that_ might mean to him too.

"Um, Henry wanted to return the books he'd borrowed, sorry it took so long we were just…" She trails off before she really starts rambling, glancing around yet again for something to distract herself with. She can see that the books he's just thrown to his bed are all the nautical ones, the books about knots and rigging and terminology and the like, the ones Henry had poured over while playing with some rope, trying to master the sailor's knots in there. He's holding the Logbook though, flipping along pages before closing it and turning back towards Emma.

"So this is why you've been avoiding me?" It's like he just takes one look at her and _knows_. There's no point in denying any of it, she knows it's written all over her face that she read his logs, that she avoided him because of this reason.

"I read it." She's not sure why she feels the need to tell him, she already knows that he knows she read it, it's spoken now though, rather than this accusation in the air. "I'm sorry, I—I know it wasn't my place, but it was with Henry's books and I just…" She just wanted to know. And once she started she just couldn't stop. She'd gone back to it so many times over the last four days, drawing her finger over his words, reading to the last page.

"Figured." He mutters it under his breath, dropping the book onto the table at the far end of the cabin, turning to lean against it. His hook isn't at the end of his left arm, the holder sitting in his lap and his right hand holding to his left forearm. It confuses Emma slightly, because it's defensive. He's _trying_ for a casual lean, and he's coming off defensive and Emma's not sure why. She takes the moment to study him, sees those walls he accuses her of hiding behind slam up behind his eyes and the set in his shoulders almost as if he's bracing for something.

"I never meant to… Are you mad at me?" She couldn't really think of any other reason why he might be so defensive. Not that she could blame him; she read something that was deeply personal and private, without his knowledge or permission. "I—it was just—_Killian_, I'm sorry, I just… No one's ever believed in me like that, no one's ever said those things or felt like that and I—"

"Emma," he sighs as he interrupts her, dropping his hand to the table behind him, leaning forward slightly, "what is it you want from me?"

"I want you to not be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you." It's a stark relief, because she knows he's not lying to her, he isn't mad, but that means she's not sure _what_ he is. "I'm not—You avoided me." There's a hint of accusation in his tone this time, and Emma knows it's warranted, really. "You read practically my entire life, and then you avoided me. You're going to have to give me something to work with here. Are _you_ mad?"

This connection between them, it was still fairly tentative; more on her side than his, but he respected the distance she still kept between them. He gave her the space she said she needed, the space she claimed she needed after readjusting to Storybrooke, to Henry getting his memories back, to Neal, to her parents. Adjusting to this life after a year of _normal_. And she knew now how difficult that must've been for him, after he'd spent a year away from her, remembering her every day while she forgot he even existed.

"I'm not mad, I'm just sorry." She watches his face shutter slightly, the expression almost heartbreakingly destroyed before he schools his features to blankly disinterested and Emma knows she needs to carry on; to get the words out, to just lay it out on the table like he's done so many times. She takes the steps between them, reaching out to cover his hand with hers. "I'm sorry that you lost Liam, sorry that Milah was taken from you like that, sorry you had to go through all of that yourself. I'm glad you survived Neverland and I'm so amazingly touched and grateful for everything you've gone through in the last year to get back to _me._" She can see when he realises she's not pulling away from him again, can see the realisation that she's not running from this anymore. "I'm sorry it took me so long, sorry I still don't know if I can say it, but I'm not scared anymore, of _this_, I'm not scared of what it means, because I know you're not going to run, you're not going to break my heart."

His hand turns under hers, shifting until he can lace their fingers together and he draws her closer. Emma doesn't resist, shifting until she's pressing into his body, fitting against him like it's where she belongs, and maybe, just maybe it is where she belongs. With him, by his side, _together_.

"I will do everything in my power to make sure you never feel that pain again." She honestly has nothing to say to that, because she knows he will, it's been unspoken until now and then it's just there, clear as day. He loves her, he's not going to leave her, and Emma's sure she loves him too, even if she can't tell him yet, she knows she'll be able to someday, someday soon hopefully.

Sighing against him, Emma turns her face towards his, eyes closed as she instinctively seeks out the soft turn of his mouth, pressing a light kiss against his lips. It was light and chaste and full of promises of what she hoped were to come.

She wasn't scared. She'd made her choice. He was it.

#


	6. Tell Me a Story

This is largely for Nat; my instigator. It disregards a _lot_ of canon regarding two stories and fabricates some more later. It's a part one of two, so another along this vein will follow.

_#_

_Will you tell me a story?_

#

As the ship fell into the whirlpool, Mary Margaret and David clinging to one another, Regina and Gold both grabbing whatever rigging they could, Emma wrapped her arms around the wooden rail she was standing next to, making sure that everyone was secured to the ship, glancing back at Hook just to check.

She was momentarily stunned by the fact that, other than one hand on the wheel, Hook was casual as ever, his fingers curling around one of the pegs as he shifted them easily through the magical portal, shouting out a warning for them to brace as they punched through the other side, the ship lurching into this new realm.

Emma felt her stomach tug, just the same was when she was hauled into the Enchanted Forest and then when she fell through the portal out of it into Storybrooke. Portal jumping was not nice on the stomach; even Regina looked a little peaky.

"If any of you vomit on my ship, you're cleaning it. Over the side if you're going to empty." David just glared, although he did end up hanging over the side of the ship, Mary Margaret joining him to rub his back soothingly. Regina just took a seat on the deck, her back pressed to the side of the ship as she took deep breaths of sea air.

"God, does it always feel like this?" It was like the worst possible travel sickness she'd ever had, like being stuck in a too warm car for too long with more people than was healthy. She wanted to throw up, but knew she wouldn't allow herself to do it.

"Couldn't tell you, love. I've never had any bother with it." Emma had to roll her eyes, of course he hadn't. Damn pirate.

Besides the unsettled feeling, the sail was smooth. The sea was the deepest blue she'd seen and the sky was clear as glass. It was peaceful, calm and quiet over the ocean, just the sun and the salt air. Not even a squawk from a seagull or anything in the sky, which was a little strange, sure.

"Um, Hook?" Mary Margaret's voice drew Emma's attention though, and then she saw the storm clouds, which had to be magic since they were entirely concentrated in one area. "Shouldn't we go around that?"

"You want to get to Neverland; you have to go through it." There was lightening sparking above horrendous grey and black clouds, the waves turning choppy and nasty, rain pelting down. It looked like total and utter hell and he wanted to sail through it? "Grab onto something or get below, this isn't going to be smooth."

That was the biggest understatement Emma had ever heard; it was horrid. The ship was tossed on the waves, mounting up before crashing down hard onto the sea, the winds tearing at parts of the rigging and sails, lightening striking next to the side and startling a gasp out of Emma. The rain felt like icy cool pin pricks all over her skin, waves lashing up onto the deck. She slipped at least twice before David hauled her over, his arm wrapped around Mary Margaret and Emma huddling in beside them. Regina had taken a similar position and Gold had retreated to the back of the deck, crouching beside the stairs to the helm and watching carefully.

That was when Emma caught sight of Hook, still at the helm, steering them through the squall. He was drenched, the rain and the splashing waves catching him constantly, but beyond shaking water from his face, he didn't flinch, glaring through the dense clouds and gripping to the wheel. His hand clenched so hard on the pegs that his knuckles were stark white from even where Emma was hunched. She could see him straining with the force, the muscles in his neck tight and his jaw clenched, but he was unwavering in his stance, barely letting the wind or sea move him and Emma felt some kind of _awe_ build up.

_This_ was where he belonged, on the sea, in the waves, commanding a ship against forces of nature. He'd seemed bumbling and idiotic at times on land, but _now_ Emma could see where he was at his best.

As suddenly as it started, it stopped. The rain almost as if it turned off, the sea calming and the darkness passing to a light and Emma twisted to turn and see. The clouds were gone and the sun was shining high, in the distance there was an island, almost like a small triangle in the sea, the way it peaked upwards, rock formations coming into sight around the sides. The island looked forest thick and green, even from this distance, inviting and foreboding all the same.

"Is that…"

"Welcome to Neverland." The glare hadn't cleared from Hook's face, still soaked to the skin and tension radiating everywhere. She's reminded then that he _hates_ this place, the ire in his features just reminding her that he's been here for centuries, battling for his life, and they're back here, for her son.

Her respect for him might've just increased, seeing him so steadfast at the helm, but her confusion at this man, this _pirate_, it just doubled as well. The drastic turn in the weather meant they dried out very quickly, the island getting closer and closer by the second, and Emma's sense of dread building. Apparently she wasn't the only one.

"Does it _always_ feel like this?" Regina was holding her stomach, similar to where Emma was feeling the build in anxiousness.

"It's a nightmare island fuelled by magic; did you expect it to taste like rainbows and unicorns, your royalness?" Hook's snark is biting, his tone sharp and condescending, as if they'd believe this island to be anything but horrifying.

"Look! Mermaids." Mary Margaret either isn't paying attention to the horrific sense of doom, or simply doesn't feel it. Pointing out the forms in the water. They're not quiet at the main of the island, a few of the rock formations out from where Emma can see viable land, so presumably, the mermaids are lounging.

"Swan, get your father back from the edge of the ship," it's a Captain's command, and Emma barely thinks about arguing, the tone brokering no dispute. She's drawing David away from the edge without even thinking. "Milady, unless you want a swim, I'd not do that." Mary Margaret glances back at Hook, a question on her face before she stops, looking back towards the mermaids who have now taken note of the ship.

"Are they dangerous?" it's an innocuous enough question, but Hook still rolls his eyes and Gold snorts.

"Everything here is dangerous, dearie." He's still huddled, apparently not taking well to sea travel, and Hook doesn't even spare a glance in his direction. As they got closer, Emma noticed that the number of mermaids had dwindled, instead of the four sitting along the rocks, there was only two.

They looked nothing like what she would've imagined mermaids to be. The bright tails and pretty hair and strategically places seashells to cover their modesty. No, instead, their tails were fairly dull in colour, although the light caught on the scales and reflected neon colours at times, their skin had an almost greenish blue colour, hair limp and wet, one a dark brown colour and another dull blonde. Their faces, as Emma could make them out, were pretty enough, far more angular than round, sharp features and exotic eyes, wide black with almost translucent rims.

Emma is mesmerised, just as Mary Margaret seems to be. She doesn't notice David coming back towards the side of the ship with them until she hears Hook's sharp shout and then it's too late.

There's a blood chilling giggle before an arm grabs David, the two mermaids missing from the rocks apparently having swam up beside the ship, climbing the side to pull David overboard. Emma and Mary Margaret both lunge for him but they can't reach fast enough and he's gone below the water before either of them can do anything.

"Don't," Hook shouts just as Emma's about to jump in after them, "they'll just kill you outright," he's tied the wheel in place, shaking off his coat and kicking his boots before diving right off the side of the ship and Emma can't even get a word in.

The mermaids from the rocks are gone, likely under the water with David and the others, and Emma sees more tails in the water. _God_, what is going on? She can't even count the minutes, Mary Margaret gripping to her arm while they both peer over the edge, even Gold and Regina exchanging worried glances. With both Hook and David overboard, they have no idea what to do.

Suddenly there's a break in the water, dark red hair appearing and then David's head. The mermaid grips him tightly just as she starts towards the ship, two more appearing with snarls on their faces and the one clinging to David bats them away with her tail and her hands. She gets close enough to the ship for Mary Margaret and Emma to grab a hold and haul David up.

"He's not breathing," her voice is soft, silky and sweet, almost melodic and Emma is stunned for a second, "I'm going back for Killian." And then she's gone and Emma's left wondering for two seconds before the dots connect and she remembers, _Killian Jones, but most know me by my more colourful moniker, Hook._ She's going back for Hook.

Loud coughing brings her attention back to David, who Mary Margaret is clinging to on the deck while Regina hovers over him slightly. They'd gotten him breathing again, he was okay. Drenched and drained of colour, but okay. He's gasping slightly, shaking and trembling and leaning into Mary Margaret as he glances around in a bit of a daze.

"Where's Hook?" Mary Margaret looks over at her and Emma glances back at the water. They'd been under for a long time, Hook longer still now, what if the one that got David couldn't get Hook? What if they were stuck there in the middle of the ocean with no clue how to get to the island? What if they'd drowned him and…

A gasp from the water breaks her train of thought, Emma rushing to the side to see the red haired mermaid holding Hook above the water, his head on her shoulder while she swam them backwards. There was blood at his temple and more still in the water.

"Let's get you out before the sharks start circling." The melodic quality is even more obvious in her voice the way she speaks to Hook, soft and soothing, as they climb up the side and Hook drops over onto the deck before reaching back over.

Emma wasn't expecting him to pull the mermaid aboard, although she's stunned to see the glittering greens in the tail, how sharp and blue her eyes are compared to the others, how _pretty_ she is. There's a slice along her upper arm, weeping a dark red colour down her arm and Hook grabs a barrel to place her on, letting her tail curl back.

"Thank you," Mary Margaret breaks the silence, still holding tightly to David, "thank you so much." The mermaid just smiles, ducking her head and letting her hair fall slightly, before pushing it back again.

"That's alright," Emma can't tell, but it looks like there's a blush on her cheeks. Hook comes wandering back, dripping water and barefoot, with a white shirt in his hand, ripping segments near the bottom with his hook. "You're bleeding more than me, let me see that." She's already reaching for Hook's head, pulling him to hunch before she stops and gives him a look.

Emma's even more stunned that the pirate just sighs before kneeling to let the mermaid fuss at the wound on his head.

"It's fine, Attina's been sharpening her nails though." It doesn't surprise Emma that he knows their names.

"Oh, she'd like nothing more than to give you a fin and take you home to Daddy, little witch never respects anyone's choices." Hook manages to wave off the attention, the blood having stopped on his head, and takes the mermaids arm.

"Are you even going to _try_ to explain, or shall we just sit here in the dark?" Regina clearly hasn't lost her knack. Hook and the mermaid just share a look; Hook glancing in Gold's direction before sighing and giving an infinitesimal shake of the head.

"Ariel, meet the Evil Queen, Snow White, Prince bloody Charming, Rumplestiltskin and Emma Swan." He doesn't bother returning the introductions, since everyone is just staring at Ariel.

_Ariel_, red haired mermaid _Ariel_, as in _the_ little mermaid. Emma's sure her jaw is hanging open. She thought that maybe she'd gotten used to it, what with her being on a pirate ship with Captain Hook, her parents Snow White and Charming and the Evil Queen, going to _Neverland_ to save her son. But then the Little Mermaid is sitting on the ship and Emma's just stunned again. How did this become her life?

"They're talkative."

"They stun easily." Hook is meticulous and careful, tending the wound on Ariel's arm, and Emma notices the way that the mermaid studies him, a soft smile on her face and her hand resting on his shoulder while he works. It's a gentle action, and Hook's fingers are delicate as he works. Emma remembers the care he took in bandaging her hand at the top of that beanstalk, wonders if _this_ is why Ariel helped them.

The idea that Ariel, the little mermaid, is in love with Captain Hook almost makes Emma laugh slightly.

"Weren't you from the Enchanted Forest?" David has a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, huddling for warmth, resting against a barrel himself with Mary Margaret to his side. Even Regina seems inquisitive towards the development, although Gold is hanging back, out of the way.

"I was, a long time ago." Ariel looks at Hook before glancing to give David a soft smile. "But I grew curious about the land, wanted to adventure it. I met a man,"

"Eric?" Mary Margaret is leaning forward, openly curious and nursing a smile herself, the panic of almost losing David having faded with the gratitude towards the mermaid taking the attention.

"No, this was … this was centuries ago. He was charming and fun, promised to show me all of the world's great secrets. I was young, I believed him. I made a…" This time, Ariel looks over at Rumplestiltskin, and Hook's jaw clenches, "I made a deal with a sea witch, Ursula, I became human and I went and found him." The sad look tells them that this is not a happy story. "He wasn't what I thought."

Mary Margaret looks upset, so does Ariel, dredging up these thoughts again clearly isn't something she wanted. Tearing the end of the fabric, Hook wraps it around Ariel's arm and ties it off at the end, this teeth once again proving that two hands aren't always required. Ariel gives his cheek a gentle stroke and Mary Margaret's eyebrows almost vanish into her hairline.

Emma ignores the pang.

"Of course, that wasn't the end of it. I returned to the sea, heartbroken and lacking the innocence I went to the land with, I became sick and weak, and my father grew worried. A castle medi-witch told us that I was with child. With _human_ child, and I would be unable to keep the babe." Ariel's attention fell to her lap, her fingers tangling together. "Have you ever wanted something so badly, only to be told that you can't possibly keep it? That the only thing you can do is let it go and pray that it somehow comes back to you?"

"_Yes_," there are teas in Mary Margaret's eyes, David shifting to take her hand while Regina turns away, possibly in shame or guilt. "And it tears you apart, but it's the _right_ thing." Emma refuses to look at her parents, instead glancing over to Hook, startled to find him watching her.

"I let him go, my son. I gave him to a family desperate for another son, I left him on land and I swam as far away from the Enchanted Forest as I could possibly get. And I ended up here, in Neverland." There's a wistfulness in Ariel's eyes, like Neverland somehow turned out to be her sanctuary, like it somehow _helped_. Emma's not sure how it could, if Hook says it's as horrible as it is.

"Didn't you ever go find him?" Regina is brash, sharp and clearly more interested than she'd like to be.

"I didn't have to; he found his way to me." And this time, when Ariel glances up at Hook, there's a smile on her face that is open and heart-warming and Hook returns it with an impossibly open smile that is devastating on his far too handsome face. Emma feels her jaw drop open all over again.

Ariel isn't _in love_ with Hook, he's her _son_?

"What?" Suddenly, Gold is interested in the conversation. "He's the boy? He's the child you bore?" There's a second when Emma is convinced Hook's truce with Gold is about to end, but its Ariel that snaps, showing a fragment of the darkness that the other mermaids displayed, her skin rippling dark as she snarled at Gold, making him step back and away.

"We met after Andrina, my sister, tried to lure him to the sea. Most men cannot resist a mermaids charms, they are enthralled and willingly walk to their deaths in the ocean, if they are handsome and strong, most will turn them to mermen and keep them as trophies. No one had ever resisted Andrina, except Killian. I grew curious, came to meet the infamous _Captain Hook_." The way she says his moniker is entirely teasing, Hook just rolls his eyes, leaning back against the edge of the deck while keeping his attention towards Gold. "He has his father's looks, but those are my eyes." Which, yeah, Emma can see, for sure. "Because he is part mermaid, through his blood on my side, he is immune to the charms of my kind."

"So you were reunited? You got him back?" Emma worries in that moment that Mary Margaret might explode with the sheer happiness that seems to be bubbling right there.

"For a time." And that just sinks that. "I was able to get to know my son, to hear about his life, his family," Ariel struggled with that word, her hand flailing out and Hook caught it quickly, giving her hand a squeeze of support, "the events that led him to Neverland," which meant Ariel knew about Milah and Gold and the hand, "but as Pan continued to try and break Killian, he grew more aware until he learned the truth himself."

"Why would that…"

"Neverland rule; no mothers allowed." The finality of how he says it, how Hook states it so very cold and detached, Emma's sure they're mostly still reeling from however _that_ had happened.

"I should go back." Hook nods slightly as Ariel glances back at the water, "Attina has probably already swum back to Atlantis to share her news." At this, Hook just groans. "I know, I know, don't worry, I still have sway with father."

"Can you try and find anything? About the boy?" Ariel gives a small nod herself, shuffling around on the barrel before leaning over to hug Hook. Emma turns away as Hook returns the embrace, it feels too private to watch, and she only turns back as Ariel speaks again.

"Good luck, I hope you find what you're looking for here. What you find in Neverland, never truly leaves you." With that, she dives off the edge of the ship and into the water, disappearing from view.

There's an awkward silence on the deck then, Hook's gaze not leaving Gold, as if he's waiting for something. Emma's still trying to process everything that she's just learned. Not only about Hook, but about Ariel as well. She'd never _really_ believed in fairy tales, not until Henry and his book, and then she started learning that fairy tales weren't even all that they were supposed to be. But the crossing over and the false stories are just starting to get too much for her.

"_You_ are the last heir of Atlantis?" Gold can barely get the words out from between his clenched teeth. Hook's just standing there, arms crossed; hook glinting slightly, and still barefoot.

"Well, as far as I'm aware, none of my aunts have reproduced, so yes." It has to hold some kind of significance, something important to Gold, the way he's trying to grind his own teeth, and Hook just smirks.

"She knows that Henry's missing?" Regina clearly caught the end on Killian and Ariel's discussion, and Hook just nods.

"She'll be able to find out if there's been any sightings around the island, she'll find us if she hears anything." Which gives them something to go on at least, "now, I'd ask that you all stay away from the water. I'm not looking for any further family reunions." Grabbing his boots, Hook heads back up to the helm, Gold pacing in the corner, muttering under his breath. Emma just goes to take a seat by her parents.

"You know, that means he's technically a prince." Mary Margaret says it like it's of any importance at all, and David frowns at her. "I'm just saying, he's a Prince by blood." And then Emma realises it's a very subtle dig at David.

"Oh shut up."

It feels good to smile then, even with all this looming over them, Emma can't help but smile slightly, as she feels the ship start to turn towards the island, Hook rounding them to find somewhere to dock. Neverland is going to be full of surprises, she's sure of it.


End file.
